Pepco and Sustainable Maryland on Tuesday announced nine recipients of the 2025 Sustainable Communities Grant program, distributing nearly $125,000 to grassroots initiatives aimed at transforming vacant spaces, expanding access to locally grown food, improving emergency preparedness and creating community gathering spaces.

“When communities are given the tools and support they need, great ideas can take root and transform neighborhoods,” said Amber Perry, Pepco’s region president. “Over the past five years, the Sustainable Communities Grant Program has grown into a powerful partnership that’s restoring natural habitats, improving green spaces and building resilience across the region.”

Perry highlighted the My Senior’s Keeper Foundation, which is converting an underutilized site in Ward 7 into a solar-powered community green space. “These projects reflect how creativity, commitment and deep community knowledge are tackling real-world challenges and making a meaningful impact,” she said.

Since launching in 2020, Pepco has awarded more than $620,000 to nonprofit organizations and municipalities through the program.

This year’s grants include $58,700 in environmental stewardship grants for projects that restore ecosystems, expand green spaces and promote environmental education, and $66,000 in resiliency grants for community initiatives that improve emergency preparedness and strengthen local infrastructure.

Environmental stewardship grant recipients include Friends of the National Arboretum ($8,700), Dreaming Out Loud ($10,000), Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region ($10,000), the Town of University Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland ($10,000), Community Native Planting Project ($10,000) and Live Peace Tech Corporation in Montgomery County ($10,000).

Resiliency grant recipients include My Senior’s Keeper Foundation ($25,000), the city of Takoma Park in Montgomery County ($16,000) and the city of Greenbelt in Prince George’s County ($25,000).

“Partnerships like this one with Pepco allow us to amplify the incredible work happening at the local level,” said Mike Hunninghake, director of Sustainable Maryland. “When municipalities and nonprofits have the resources they need, they can turn great ideas into lasting impact.”

The grant program complements Pepco’s broader initiatives to advance cleaner energy solutions. The company provides customers with tools and programs to reduce energy consumption and emissions, supporting Exelon’s Path to Clean initiative to cut operations-driven emissions 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.